Still My Brother
by FandomSailor
Summary: This is a one-shot about Sirius getting the news about his brothers death.


It was a sunny afternoon in London when the letter arrived. Sirius had just came back from work at the ministry and was lying on the couch his eyes closed. Then he heard an owl hooting on his windowsill. Sirius groaned and slowly got up.

The owl was getting frustrated for having to wait and it was knocking the window with its beak loudly. Sirius grunted and said:

"Alright alright, I'm coming you know."

Sirius opened the window and glared at the owl that stretched neck towards Sirius so it could be released from its burden. The owl instantly flew off when Sirius snatched the letter from it.  
After Sirius had glared at the owl's fading figure he closed the window with a slam. He walked to the kitchen of his flat and sat down. He then studied the envelope:  
The address was written with purple ink and on the front the letter was sealed with a purple seal that had the letter "M" on it. Just then Sirius's tired mind realized the envelope itself was black.

_Somebody died._

Sirius cracked the seal open, thinking who it was and hoping who it wasn't. In his slightly shocked condition he remembered that only family members were directly sent owl mail about the deaths.

_Don't let it be Andromeda, not Andy_, he thought.

Sirius quickly took the letter out and opened it, reading it anxiously:

_**Dear Mr Sirius Black**_

_**We are sorry to inform you about the death of your brother, Regulus Arcturus Black.  
On 4**__**th**__** of February, we…**_

But the rest didn't matter to Sirius. Everything that mattered in the whole letter was in those eight letters _…the death of your brother, Regulus Arcturus Black_.

For a second Sirius wasn't sure what to feel, what to think. He just sat there, staring at the piece of paper that told him that his brother was dead.  
And then the realization hit.  
Gone.  
Out of the picture.  
_Dead.  
_Sirius remembered the day when he saw Regulus the last time.

* * *

***FLASHBACK***

_It was the graduating day for Sirius and the rest of the Marauders. The seven years of laughter, pranks and studying would be behind, and the real world and the war ahead._

_The Marauders were walking down the hallway on their way to the great hall to prepare the great last big prank on the school, when suddenly a voice behind them called out:_

_"Sirius! Wait, I have to talk to you!"_

_They all stopped and turned around. James and Remus were looking at Regulus sceptically and Peter was looking down the hall in the case of teachers. Sirius narrowed his eyes and said:_

_"Look who it is. What do you want Regulus?"_

_Regulus raised his eyebrows and said:_

_"I just want to talk, or didn't you hear me before?"_

_Sirius scoffed and looked at his friends, his eyes asking the question "should I?" Remus frowned but nodded, and James patted him in the back saying:_

_"Just be quick. Remember, we have a prank to prepare."_

_With that James, Peter and Remus walked down the hall. Sirius grinned after his friends, and then returned his eyes to Regulus, still standing there, waiting. Sirius returned his poker face and walked up to Regulus. He raised his eyebrows and asked:_

_"What is it?"_

_Regulus shaked his head and said:_

_"Oh Sirius, always so subtle. I want to make you an offer: Join us, or die trying to defy our power."_

_Sirius couldn't believe his ears. Did Regulus just tell him to join the Death Eaters? Regulus smiled that innocent schoolboy smile and then said:_

_"I knew you wouldn't accept it. I almost felt foolish for just asking."_

_"Like you should", Sirius said, "You've obviously picked the wrong side in this war. Do you know what you've got yourself into?"_

_Regulus kept his poker face and blankly said:_

_"Of course. But do_

_you?"_

_Sirius glared at Regulus and growled:_

_"This conversation is over."_

_He then started to walk down the hall, when he heard Regulus shout after him:_

_"I know you'll manage to make a major mistake before this war is over, Sirius, because I know you! Because after all these years, I'm still your brother!"_

_Sirius turned around to shout something back, but when he looked behind him, Regulus was already gone._

***END FLASHBACK***

* * *

And now he was dead, and Sirius couldn't believe it. A family member that you hate is one of those things that you don't miss before it's gone. Sirius was dwelling in his memories and thoughts when the reality came in the form of Lily Potter.

Sirius didn't even notice Lily, so inside his thoughts he was. When Lily said:

"Hello Sirius",

he looked up from the letter and mumbled "Huh?" Lily frowned and took the black envelope to study it closer. She looked up to Sirius and with a soft voice asked:

"May I ask who?"

Sirius sighed and threw the letter on the table, saying:

"My brother, Regulus."

Lily frowned and asked:

"You had a brother?"

Sirius only nodded and looked at Lily, who picked up the letter and quickly read it. She put the letter back and asked:

"Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?"

Sirius just nodded, dwelling in his emotions that he didn't manage sort out. There was anger, sadness, maybe just a teeny bit of joy and the rest was just a big mess. Lily seemed to notice this too and after she gave him a cup of tea, she asked:

"Were you two close?"

Sirius shaked his head and blurted out:

"Not after I went to Hogwarts and wasn't there to tell Regulus the lie from the truth. Our parents fed him all kind of lies about purebloods and muggleborns. So after he graduated he became a death eater, and I hated him for that. Thought now that I think about it, I practically abandoned Regulus to that house when I left, so maybe I should just blame myself."

Lily shaked her head and with a stern voice said:

"Sirius, it wasn't your fault."

Sirius let out a shake laugh and said:

"When I really think about it, I'm not sure what to think about Regulus. I loathed him for his choices and for believing all the lies, for joining the death eaters, for killing innocent people, but I also pitied him for all that. I cared about him, when mother and father didn't but hated him for bothering me all the time after I got a real life from Hogwarts. I turned my back to him when he most needed me, and he lost his faith in me. I hate him, I hate him like I hate the rest of my family, but still I know he isn't the same as my family. There was something different about him that made me love him."

Sirius smiled at the memories and looked at Lily, who was also smiling. Sirius picked up the letter and sighed:

"Because after all these years, he's still my brother."

* * *

**A/N: Hello! I know I haven't updated my other story in like three months and should be working on it, but this was just something I wrote for fun and because I wanted to. So I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review, they're always nice :) **


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